Sunday March 20 - Callout for Solidarity with Bradley Manning- Quantico! London! Dubln?

by from Daniel Elsberg Sun Mar 13, 2011 10:48

This shameful abuse of Bradley Manning

The WikiLeaks suspect's mistreatment amounts to torture. Either President Obama knows this or he should make it his business

President Obama tells us that he's asked the Pentagon whether the conditions of confinement of Bradley Manning, the soldier charged with leaking state secrets, "are appropriate and are meeting our basic standards. They assure me that they are."

If Obama believes that, he'll believe anything. I would hope he would know better than to ask the perpetrators whether they've been behaving appropriately. I can just hear President Nixon saying to a press conference the same thing: "I was assured by the the White House Plumbers that their burglary of the office of Daniel Ellsberg's doctor in Los Angeles was appropriate and met basic standards."

When that criminal behaviour ordered from the Oval Office came out, Nixon faced impeachment and had to resign. Well, times have changed. But if President Obama really doesn't yet know the actual conditions of Manning's detention– if he really believes, as he's said, that "some of this [nudity, isolation, harassment, sleep-deprivation] has to do with Private Manning's wellbeing", despite the contrary judgments of the prison psychologist – then he's being lied to, and he needs to get a grip on his administration.

If he does know, and agrees that it's appropriate or even legal, that doesn't speak well for his memory of the courses he taught on constitutional law.

The president refused to comment on PJ Crowley's statement that the treatment of Manning is "ridiculous, counterproductive and stupid". Those words are true enough as far as they go – which is probably about as far as a state department spokesperson can allow himself to go in condemning actions of the defence department. But at least two other words are called for: abusive and illegal.

Crowley was responding to a question about the "torturing" of an American citizen, and, creditably, he didn't rebut that description. Prolonged isolation, sleep deprivation, nudity – that's right out of the manual of the CIA for "enhanced interrogation". We've seen it applied in Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib. It's what the CIA calls "no-touch torture ", and its purpose there, as in this case, is very clear: to demoralise someone to the point of offering a desired confession. That's what they are after, I suspect, with Manning. They don't care if the confession is true or false, so long as it implicates WikiLeaks in a way that will help them prosecute Julian Assange.

That's just my guess, as to their motives. But it does not affect the illegality of the behaviour. If I'm right, it's likely that such harsh treatment wasn't ordered at the level of a warrant officer or the brig commander. The fact that they have continued to inflict such suffering on the prisoner despite weeks of complaint from his defence counsel, harsh publicity and condemnation from organisations such as Amnesty International, suggests to me that it might have come from high levels of the defence department or the justice department, if not from the White House itself.

It's no coincidence that it's someone from the state department who has gone off-message to speak out about this. When a branch of the US government makes a mockery of our pretensions to honour the rule of law, specifically our obligation not to use torture, the state department bears the brunt of that, as it affects our standing in the world.

The fact that Manning's abusive mistreatment is going on at Quantico – where I spent nine months as a Marine officer in basic school – and that Marines are lying about it, makes me feel ashamed for the Corps. Just three years as an infantry officer was more than enough time for me to know that what is going on there is illegal behaviour that must be stopped and disciplined.
________________________________________________

from Daniel Elsberg
home Homepage: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011...leaks

by Diarmuid Breatnach - Personal Capacity Sun Mar 13, 2011 15:24

I would have gone to the US Embassy in support of this protest in solidarity with Manning if I had notification of any others being there. With more notice of this US protest and a call for solidarity actions around the world for the same date we could have got at least a few of us to the US Embassy in Dublin IF I HAD MORE NOTICE.

Hope the protests elsewhere go well.

by Ciaron - Giuseppe Conlon House, London Catholic Worker Mon Mar 14, 2011 02:44

THE CONCEPT OF SIMULTANEOUS EVENTS FOR MARCH 20 (and any other time!)

A mistake of the mainstream anti-war organisations is the "come to London or do nothing" maxim.
The idea that a "mass movement" has to be in one place at one time s a serious mistake.

This is how we simultaneously marked the 20th. anniversary of the start (Jan 15) of this now 20 year war on the people of Iraq...we marked it from the White House to London to Dublin to Wellington/NZ....
-scroll down the thread to see photos & reports of the J15 events
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/98666?search_text=iraq+...rsary

IF YA CAN'T MAKE IT TO LONDON MARCH 20 CONSIDER STAGING A VIGIL, PICKET, WHATEVER/ WHERE EVER YOU ARE!

The MAIN March 20 event will be at Quantico, in England it will be outsdie the U.S. embassy, Grosvenor Square, Sunday March 20 2pm (and if ya can travel to it, do travel to it!).........

if ya can't travel... any public solidarity action on March 20 (no matter how big or small) is valuable...be sure to take a photo to circulate globally post-event)

...such an event (& announcing it asap time/place/ reporting on/ circulating it) in Wales will carry special meaning to Bradley because of his background,

one in Dublin will carry special meaning to the Irish Americans heading to Quantico, ....another in Glasgow will likewise nourish the Scottish Americans heading to Quantico etc.

*Detail on event at Quantico
http://www.bradleymanning.org/16125/rally-for-bradley-q...h-20/

**Other March 20 confirmed events to coincide with return to Quantico

Fort Snelling
The Hague / Den Haag
London
Montreal
Natchez
Phoenix
Portland
Quantico Marine Base/Triangle ** FEATURED EVENT!**
San Diego
Toronto
Vancouver
Vienna
Washington DC
More detail on these individual events here.....
http://www.bradleymanning.org/events/

*** Suggestions on how to stage a Bradley Manning solidarity event
http://www.bradleymanning.org/16362/how-to-have-an-even...nnin/

by Ciaron Mon Mar 14, 2011 13:22

Peter Tatchell has confirmed he will speak in support of Bradley Manning outside U.S. Embassy/London on Sunday March 20th. 2 pm
http://petertatchell.net/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Tatchell

by U.S. Organisers March 20 Mon Mar 14, 2011 18:30

Media Contact:
Jeff Paterson

Global Bradley Manning Action Days in Support of Accused WikiLeaks Whistleblower

Individuals and activists plan events around the world to show support for the accused WikiLeaks whistleblower on March 19-20.

Washington DC, March 14, 2011 — On March 19-20, 2011, activist organizations and individuals will take to the streets to protest the U.S. government’s treatment of accused WikiLeaks whistleblower Army Private First Class Bradley Manning. Manning, 23, has been held in isolation for nearly 300 days, charged with releasing classified documents, including a video that shows American troops shooting and killing 11 people, including two Reuters employees, in 2007.

Organizers are calling on supporters around the world to take public action to protest Manning’s inhumane treatment at the Quantico brig, which P.J. Crowley, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s former assistant for public affairs, declaimed last week as "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid."

The primary rally will take place outside the brig in Quantico where Manning is being held. In addition to the Quantico rally, the Bradley Manning Support Network is pleased to announce events in cities around the world, including Minneapolis, London, Montreal, The Hague, Phoenix, San Diego, and Vienna.

“On March 2nd, Manning was stripped of his clothing and forced to spend the night naked, then stand for inspection the next morning without his clothes. This happened again the following night, and we don’t know how long this will keep going,” said Jeff Paterson, steering committee member of the Bradley Manning Support Network and project director of Courage to Resist. “This pre-trial punishment is inhumane and un-American.”

Despite the recommendations of three forensic military psychiatrists, the MCB Quantico Commander refuses to lift PFC Manning's Prevention of Injury (POI) status and change his confinement classification from MAX to Medium Custody In (MDI).

Manning’s imprisonment has resulted in an international outcry, and his conditions are the subject of an investigation by the UN special rapporteur on torture and a recent campaign by Amnesty International. Famed Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, who will be speaking at a rally in Quantico on the 20th, has called Mr. Manning “a new hero of mine.”

More Information:
• See currently scheduled list of events: http://www.bradleymanning.org/events
• Details about the Quantico rally: http://www.bradleymanning.org/16125/rally-for-bradley-q...h-20/
• Details are also cross-posted at WLCentral http://wlcentral.org/node/1461
• Learn how to host a rally for Bradley Manning: http://www.bradleymanning.org/16362/how-to-have-an-even...ning/

# # #

The Bradley Manning Support Network is a grassroots, nonpartisan organization which works to:
• Stop the extreme, inhumane and illegal pre-trial punishment of Bradley Manning
• Ensure that Bradley Manning receives top-notch legal representation from the lawyer of his choice
• Stop any effort by the United States government to hold a secret court martial trial, unchecked by public and media oversight
• Free Bradley Manning!

by D.C. protest y'day Tue Mar 15, 2011 08:41

Washington (CNN) -- Protesters -- some of them virtually naked on a breezy 50-degree March afternoon -- noisily demonstrated outside the State Department and marched to the White House Monday, calling for the release of WikiLeaks suspect Pfc. Bradley Manning.

Manning's case, and details of his detention at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia, have drawn new attention in the aftermath of comments by State Department Spokesman, P.J. Crowley, and Crowley's sudden weekend resignation.

Amidst reports that Manning had been forced to sleep without clothing and confined to his cell 23-hours a day, Crowley had criticized how Manning was held at Quantico, calling it "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid," according to news reports. Crowley was the face and voice of the Obama administration on the full-range of diplomatic issues and is a former Air Force colonel.

Photo/article continued.....
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/03/14/manning.protest/in...earch

by Code Pink flickr Tue Mar 15, 2011 13:52

Code Pink Flickr from D.C. protest for Manning & New Times editorial on Manning Conditons
http://www.flickr.com/photos/codepinkalert/5526918241/i...ream/

New York Times editorial on Manning
The Abuse of Private Manning
Published: March 14, 2011

Pfc. Bradley Manning, who has been imprisoned for nine months on charges of handing government files to WikiLeaks, has not even been tried let alone convicted. Yet the military has been treating him abusively, in a way that conjures creepy memories of how the Bush administration used to treat terror suspects. Inexplicably, it appears to have President Obama’s support to do so.

Private Manning is in solitary confinement at the Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va. For one hour a day, he is allowed to walk around a room in shackles. He is forced to remove all his clothes every night. And every morning he is required to stand outside his cell, naked, until he passes inspection and is given his clothes back.

Military officials say, without explanation, that these precautions are necessary to prevent Private Manning from injuring himself. They have put him on “prevention of injury” watch, yet his lawyers say there is no indication that he is suicidal and the military has not placed him on a suicide watch. (He apparently made a sarcastic comment about suicide.)

Forced nudity is a classic humiliation technique. During the early years of the Bush administration’s war on terror, C.I.A. interrogators regularly stripped prisoners to break down barriers of resistance, increase compliance and extract information. One C.I.A. report from 2004 said that nudity, along with sleep deprivation and dietary manipulation, was used to create a mind-set in which the prisoner “learns to perceive and value his personal welfare, comfort and immediate needs more than the information he is protecting.”

Article continued...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/opinion/15tue3.html?s...t=nyt

by Vistor, Father, Doctors Wed Mar 16, 2011 15:18

*'You can hear Bradley Manning coming because of the chains'

US soldier Bradley Manning is being held in inhuman conditions in military prison, accused of passing secrets to WikiLeaks. Every other week his friend from Boston goes to visit him. David Leigh reports
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/mar/16/hear-bradle...hains

**Bradley Manning's father speaks out over Pentagon's treatment of his son
'You've crossed a line. This is wrong,' says Brian Manning, comparing his son's treatment to those in Guantánam
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/15/bradley-man...tment

***Bradley Manning's military doctors accused over treatment
WikiLeaks suspect treated cruelly, says rights group, which accuses psychiatrists of 'violating ethical duties'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/15/bradley-man...tment